Kelly Swanson

Kelly Swanson

Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, hall-of-fame motivational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show. She is also author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Story Formula, and The Affirmation Journal for Positive Thinking.

She was a featured entertainer for Holland America Cruise Lines, and has keynoted major conferences and corporate events from coast to coast. Both of her one-woman shows – Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale and Southern Fried Gossip – are being booked in theaters all over the country. In July of 2022 she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.

Kelly’s wacky wit and powerful stories have charmed hearts and tickled funny bones for over 20 years. In addition to her role as a funny motivational speaker, Kelly teaches people how she does it by sharing what she has learned about connecting and engaging to have more influence in business, through the use of one tool – strategic storytelling.

Sharing her own powerful journey through story she will show you the power in your own story – laughing the whole way.

Most Requested Programs

Reimagine What's Possible
Flip the Script. Imagine your life and our work in a whole new story: Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, Story Driven Impact

Testimonials

Kelly has the perfect blend of talent, energy, insight and humor to inspire audiences. Her message of the power of storytelling is desperately needed in our field (government IT officials). I highly recommend Kelly without hesitation for any type of event in which you want your audience to be motivated, educated, enlightened and entertained. - Jack Mortimer, SVP Events, e.Republic

I had already heard Kelly was an amazing humorist, and she exceeded my expectations. Her program was masterfully crafted and outrageously entertaining. Kelly is an artful storyteller! APA’s members were mesmerized as she took over 2000 people on a journey, which was more relevant to our theme than I could have imagined. We look forward to having Kelly back in the near future! - Dan Maddux, Executive Director, American Payroll Association

Kelly,
I just wanted to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for you agreeing to come to our event and speak! I had watched several of your videos online but had no idea how you would hit it out of the park! I honestly have not laughed that much in a long time, but your message on how stories allow us to share information in a way that creates an emotional connection with others was very powerful! You took us through a journey, you made us laugh, pulled our heart strings, shared words of encouragement and let us know we are of great value. In a world where getting someone do just one of those things is tough, you did it all! Bravo!
It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and I look forward to attending one of your events in the future. - Laura Fritz, Procter & Gamble

I just finished reading the second set of evaluations (week two) and just like week one, the attendees found you to be amazing and simply the highlight of the convention. Time and time again the forms listed you or things you said as the most important take away they had from the convention. As a speaker, one does well if they can get people to remember a few things they say. But, if one can change a life through a message, there is no higher praise than that. Thanks for being part of our program. Best wishes in all your future activities. You have a gift! - Jeff Harrold, CEO Auto Owners Insurance

Kelly did her research and delivered a targeted message that had us laughing (really hard) and thinking while totally mesmerized. The “formula” she developed will provide us a guidepost for crafting our own compelling messages going forward. I keep getting stopped in the hallway by people who attended, wanting to thank the team for bringing her in. The timing was perfect. We really needed to let loose and laugh. Kelly made a wonderful impression. - Sue Hoff, Amway Headquarters